Voluntary vs. Involuntary Manslaughter in Wyoming
In Wyoming, there is a difference between voluntary manslaughter, which is killing someone in the heat of passion after being provoked enough, and involuntary manslaughter, which is killing someone by being careless or reckless without meaning to kill them. If you kill someone on purpose, you could go to jail for up to 20 years. Involuntary manslaughter can get you up to ten years in prison. In every manslaughter case, the main question is what the person was thinking at the time of the crime.
Adequate provocation is the legal idea that lets a heat-of-passion killing be charged as manslaughter instead of murder. It means that the provocation was strong enough to make a reasonable person lose control, that the defendant did lose control, and that not enough time passed for the passion to cool. These are questions that need a lot of facts and careful thought about the situation.
How Manslaughter Cases Are Investigated in Wyoming
Forensic analysis, physical evidence, witness accounts, and expert opinion all play a role in manslaughter cases. As soon as the police arrive at the scene, they start gathering evidence. By the time charges are brought, the prosecution usually has weeks or months of investigative work behind it. Our independent investigation begins the day we are hired. We look at the same evidence and find places where the prosecution’s story doesn’t add up or has holes.
Defense Strategies in Wyoming Manslaughter Cases
The most powerful defenses in manslaughter cases are: self-defense (the use of force was legally justified and the death was the result of a lawful act of self-protection), accident (the death was the result of an unforeseeable accident rather than criminal negligence), challenging the prosecution’s description of the mental state, and disputing causation – whether the defendant’s actions were actually the legal cause of death.
Penalty Grid
| Voluntary Manslaughter | Involuntary Manslaughter | Record | Gun Rights |
| Up to 20 years | Up to 10 years | Permanent felony | Federal prohibition |
Related Charges We Also Defend
Why Clients in Wyoming and South Dakota Choose Just Criminal Law
Our attorneys spent years working for the state before switching sides. We know exactly how prosecutors build cases and exactly where to find the holes.
We do not split our focus between practice areas. Every attorney, every resource, every minute is focused on one thing: your criminal defense.
We know the courts, the judges, and the prosecutors across Wyoming and western South Dakota. Local familiarity shapes strategy and strategy shapes outcomes.
Servicios de traduccion en espanol disponibles. Every client fully understands their case, their options, and their rights.
Real Results for Wyoming & South Dakota Clients
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OtherSuppression Appeal — Wyoming Supreme CourtDistrict Court denied motion to suppress. Wyoming Supreme Court accepted certiorari on appeal.
Barney v. State of Wyoming — Wyoming Supreme Court
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CASE DISMISSEDReckless Endangering / Domestic Battery / Child Endangering — Wyoming
Client charged with reckless endangering, domestic battery, and child endangering. All charges dismissed.
State v. Quezada-Lopez — Wyoming Circuit Court
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CASE DISMISSEDDUI / DWUI — Wyoming
Client charged with DUI. State unable to lay foundation for the breath test. Case dismissed.
State v. Von Olnhausen — Wyoming Circuit Court
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CASE DISMISSEDFelony Child Abuse — Wyoming
Client charged with accessory after the fact and aggravated child abuse — a felony. State unable to meet its burden of proof at preliminary hearing. Felony count dismissed.
State v. Bullinger — Wyoming District Court
Charged with a crime in Wyoming? Time is critical.
The sooner you have an attorney, the more options you have.
What Clients Say About Just Criminal Law
Frequently asked questions about manslaughter charges in Wyoming
Wyoming Criminal Defense — Communities We Serve
We are based in Gillette, Wyoming, and serve clients across the state and into western South Dakota. Our team knows the local courts, prosecutors, and judges in every community we serve — and that local knowledge makes a real difference in criminal defense.
- Deadwood
- Sturgis (Rally)
- Custer County
- Lawrence County
- Meade County
- Pennington County
We provide on-call criminal defense for Rally-related arrests including DUI, drug charges, weapons offenses, and assault. Call us 24/7 during Rally week.
